Wednesday, March 26, 2014

In case you didn't figure it out, YA Guy is a huge fan of Nature, and a huge believer in humanity's responsibility to care for and protect it. My writing isn't "political," strictly speaking, but it definitely reflects those beliefs.

But of course, there are lots of YA books that address issues having to do with Nature. So I decided, why not feature some of those books here? Thus was born an occasional series: YA for Nature!

We begin today with Chris Struyk-Bonn, debut author of WHISPER, which releases on the first of April. I've asked Chris some questions about her book and its environmental themes, and she's provided some great answers.

So, without further ado, here's Chris and YA for Nature!

Welcome to the blog,
Chris! Can you tell us about yourself and your debut, Whisper?

Thanks so much for
including me on your blog! Who am I? Hmm…well, my titles are as follows: mom,
wife, teacher, writer, runner, arachnophobe, glossophobe, inadvertent
houseplant killer, and Breaking Bad Addict. When I look at myself outside of
the titles, I realize that I am a lover of stories. I love to read them, have
them read to me, watch them, tell them, write them, and become completely lost
within them. I do this as much as possible in my life because going to those
make-believe places helps me look through a window into someone else’s life,
and look in a mirror, better understanding my own life.

My young adult
novel, Whisper, gives readers a glimpse through the window into a
life very different from most of ours, but a life that many do live in reality.
Whisper has a medical condition that could easily be remedied, but hasn’t been.
She looks different from everyone else and is treated differently because of
it. We get a small idea of what that might look like by taking a glimpse at
Whisper’s life and circumstances.

One of the things I love
about Whisper is how vividly you
describe the natural world. Why was it important to you to surround your
characters with Nature?

Whisper’s medical
condition, a bi-lateral cleft palate, may be caused by contaminants in the
environment. This is a question raised in the book, so because the environment
plays such a critical role in her own development, the readers need to know
what that natural world looks like, smells like, and sounds like. Also, we see
this world through Whisper and she is a very observant person. She examines her
world closely and paints pictures for the reader as she does so.

As you just mentioned, there
are hints in Whisper about environmental damage and its effect on
individuals and society. What played into your decision to explore this aspect
of people’s relationship to the environment?

As I watch my two
children grow up and see how aware of issues in the environment they have
become, I realize how important our understanding of the environment is. Every
day we are bombarded by changes in weather patterns, increases in global
warming, and threats to current plants and animals. It has become such a
pervasive concern, that it became a very real and very important element in Whisper. We
can’t ignore these issues and as we are affected more and more by contaminants
around us, we need to face them head-on to really understand how they are at
work in our world.

Whisper has a lot to say about how we define beauty. What’s the most
beautiful natural place you’ve ever visited? Did it have any impact on Whisper?

I love the woods. When I
first moved to Oregon, I went to a place called Silver Falls State Park and it
felt like walking into a fairytale. Moss hung from the trees like green lace
and the colors were so vibrantly alive, it felt like an unreal
setting. I had moved to Oregon from Iowa, and the trees in Iowa are not covered
in moss, and winters can be very grey. Winters in Oregon can be just as green
as the spring.

Did this have an impact on Whisper?
Absolutely. When Whisper is ostracized from her family and hometown, she grows
up in the woods, in an idyllic setting surrounded by trees, flowers, streams,
and animals. Nature does not care that Whisper’s face is imperfect. Nature
accepts Whisper as she is and in return, Whisper is a great observer of nature
and feels accepted by it. This becomes a relevant part of the story because
once she leaves the natural setting, her place in the world becomes unstable
and she begins a journey into the unknown.

You and I are fiction
writers, not politicians or pundits. What’s the role, if any, of fiction in calling
attention to environmental issues and problems?

Such a good question.
Again, I believe that fiction writers offer windows and mirrors. Specifically in science fiction, I believe that as writers, we can pose those
troublesome “what if” questions. What if the environment affected gestation
and how children emerge from the womb? Where do those children
fit into the world and what would make for a “normal” child, then, if all
children came out “damaged”? Would our definition of beauty be redefined? Also,
what if we knew that some of our current practices were greatly affecting
children? Would we change our ways?

Science fiction is about
social commentary. We take a look at a current problem, provide a new spin on
it, and show readers what life could look like if we continue down our current
path. The beauty in not being politicians or pundits is that we’re not trying
to garner votes or establish a platform; we’re simply providing readers with a
new way to look at the world, and a new way of looking at how we live now. This
opens up a dialogue and self-evaluation. We don’t have answers, but we also
don’t claim to have answers.

Thanks for being on the blog, Chris! Readers, here's where you can connect with Chris and Whisper:

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YA Guy Is...

I'm a guy who writes YA fiction. My science fiction duology, SURVIVAL COLONY 9 and SCAVENGER OF SOULS, is out now from Simon & Schuster. A new novel, the deep-space adventure FREEFALL, came out in 2017.